Organizing & Leading PMOs

As project managers increasingly call the PMO ‘home’, another challenge is emerging. For most organizations, there is very little in the way of a clearly defined career path for project managers. Providing guidance to become a project manager, and to continue to increase value, will become critical.

For both executives and project managers alike, the PMO is viewed as a buffer. Rather than being a negative, this is all too often its desired purpose. The consequences for organizations are significant.

Many of the motivations behind implementing PMOs centre on a desire to shift the political dynamics of the organization itself. It is often seen as a desired counterbalance to a strong functionally-driven organization. What does this mean for how PMOs are being implemented?

The PMO has become the new silver bullet for organizations looking for how to implement project management. Why have PMOs become the new fad, and what does it mean for our organizations going forward?

Does the culture you have as an organization determine the PMO that you get? It is a critical question to understand in planning the structure and services of the PMO, and the relationship that it will have with the projects it supports.

Are PMOs accountable to their organizations? And should they be? This defines a fundamental, and enduring, debate about the role of the PMO. Whether the PMO is accountable for the delivery of projects, or an enabler, is a crucial choice for any organization.